How to use curl to access the github graphql API

Question

After referring this guide I needed to access the github graphql by using curl for a testing purpose. I tried this simple command

Answer 1

You just need to escape the double quotes that are inside the JSON as the query

$ curl -i -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -H "Authorization: bearer myGithubAccessToken" -X POST -d '{"query": "query {repository(owner: \"wso2\", name: \"product-is\") {description}}"}' https://api.github.com/graphql

Answer 2

I recommend storing the graphql in one file, and script for processing it in a separate file, and then combining the two at the prompt.

This lets you use graphql syntax highlighting plugins and graphql pretty printers while editing examplequery.gql in your favorite editor. While also preserving the ability to make use of your cli toolkit for cases where your graphql-fu isn't up to the task.

Usage:

❯ ./ghgql.sh examplequery.gql

    {"data":{"user":{"repositories":{"nodes":[{"name":"firstrepo","languages":{"nodes":[]}},{"name":"secondrepo","languages":{"nodes":[{"name":"Shell"},{"name":"Vim script"}]}},{"name":"thirdrepo","languages":{"nodes":[{"name":"TeX"}]}}]}}}}

❯ ./ghgql.sh examplequery.gql \
    | jq -c '.data.user.repositories.nodes | to_entries | .[]' \
    | grep 'TeX' \
    | jq -r '.value.name'

    thirdrepo

ghgql.sh

#!/usr/bin/env bash

if [ ! -f $1 ] || [ $# -ne 1 ]
then
    echo Queries the github graphql API
    echo "Usage:"
    echo
    echo "$0 somefile.gql"
fi

# read the gql query from the file named in the argument
DIR="$( cd "$( dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" )" >/dev/null 2>&1 && pwd )"
TOKEN=$(cat $DIR/token)
QUERY=$(jq -n \
           --arg q "$(cat $1 | tr -d '\n')" \
           '{ query: $q }')

# do the query
curl -s -X POST \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: bearer $TOKEN" \
  --data "$QUERY" \
  https://api.github.com/graphql

examplequery.gql

{
  user(login: "MatrixManAtYrService") {
    repositories(first: 3) {
      nodes {
        name
        languages(first: 3) {
          nodes {
            name
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Answer 3

If you want your queries to stay nice and multiline, you may do like this:

script='query {
  repositoryOwner(login:\"danbst\") {
    repositories(first: 100) {
      edges {
        node {
          nameWithOwner
          pullRequests(last: 100, states: OPEN) {
            edges {
              node {
                title
                url
                author {
                  login
                }
                labels(first: 20) {
                  edges {
                    node {
                      name
                    }
                  }
                }
              }
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}'
script="$(echo $script)"   # the query should be onliner, without newlines

curl -i -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
   -H "Authorization: bearer ........." \
   -X POST -d "{ \"query\": \"$script\"}" https://api.github.com/graphql